Carl Dustin remembers.......

May 15, 1945 Providence Commissioned
Providence received many fine gifts from the Citizens of the City of Providence which included an Ice Cream Maker and a Silver Service Set.The city of Providence was very proud of their new ship; you had to be there.


She served as a Flag Ship in Mediterranean waters during the next four years, with three tours of duty as an operational unit of the SIXTH fleet.

June 1945 Guantonamo Bay, Cuba .....shakedown cruises

October 15, 1945 Providence next to USS Bataan - Providence, Rhode, Island

October 25, 1945 Sirens Shrill Welcome

October 28, 1945 Fire Hoses turned on crowd (mob) to protect the innocent

November 7, 1945 Providence leaves Boston for the Mediterranean

November 17 After a rough Atlantic crossing just over nine days Providence arrives in Palermo, Sicily
November 21 Prov departs for Naples
November 22 Prov arrives Naples

Nov. - Dec 1945 First ports included: hollow, hungry, war-torn Palermo; disheveled, bombed-out Naples; expensive, but striving Marseilles; and Athens, hit hard, but refusing to take it lying down.

Most of January, February, and March was spent in Naples but were fortunate in obtaining Rome trips.

March 15, 1946 Carl Dustin departs Providence but only after great Liberty

St. Peter's Square
The Vatican
Palermo, Sicily

Athens, Greece

Ready to go home

Jan-Feb 1946 Visits to Capri and Rome, Italy

March 20, 1946 Nice, France

April 1946 Turkey and Beirut, Lebanon

May 1946 Egypt, Tangier, Algiers, Gibraltar

June 16, 1946 Depart for home (Philadelphia)

Fast Forward in Time

August 31, 1973 Decommissioning Ceremony of USS Providence/Carl Dustin was there....

The decommissioning ceremony marks the retirement of a ship as a unit of the operating forces of the United States Navy. At the moment of lowering the commission pennant, USS PROVIDENCE (CL-82/CLG-6) is no longer the responsibility of the Commanding Officer who, together with the ship's officers and men, had the responsibility of making and keeping her ready for any mission required by our nation in peace or war. An that we did.

Carl D. Dustin, FCO2c